Mural decoration



March 1933- G. v. E. WATSON El AL 1,903,

MURAL DECORATION Filed June 29, 1931 BY; A

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 28, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE nome v. n. warson AND ROBERT o. STUBBINS, or alumna, wasnmo'mn IUBAL DECORATION Application filed June 29, 1931. Serial No. 547,749.

This invention relates to an improved method and tool for decorating purposes, and more particularly to that class of decorating known as mottling or stippling.

At the present time mottling or stippling is generally done with a sponge, that is, first a coat of paint, the desired color for a background is put on the'wall, and other colors are added by merely dipping a sponge in the paint or water color and applying it in dabs to the wall with the result that a very uneven effect is obtained. Also in applying color 'in this way the job is a very messy-one which not only covers the person ap lying the color but usually the floor and urniture. The

principal object of this invention is to overcome these disadvantages of handling the sponge.

A further object is to provide a tool which will be easier to operate and which will do an.

even job.

A further object is to provide a small hand tool having a removable sponge surface and means supporting said surface at a predetermined distance from the wall.

A still further object is to provide a means for supporting the sponge a predetermined distance, from the wall in such a manner that the wall will not be marred, streaked or lined.

The invention is illustrated. in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front view of the device.

Figure 2 is a side view of the same.

Figures 3 and 4 show decorated surfaces.

Referring in detail to the drawing the device consists in a roller 1, which may be made of wood, rubber or any suitable material. Metal ferrules 2 are slipped over each end of the roller to provide a bearing for the supporting wire. At each end of the roller there is secured a metal disk 3 by screws or the like, the edges of said disks being moderately sharp as at 4 and the periphery formed with teeth 5. About the roller 1 is spirally wound strips of spongle 6 which project slightly beyond the teeth 5 of the disks 3. This covering may be cemented or glued on and may be removable so that a covering could be re laced if necessary. The object of having t e surface of the sponge project slightly beyond the plane of teeth is to prevent the sponge from bein firmly pressed against the wall, the teeth a lowing only the outer surface to lightly engage the wall. The object of the teeth is to allow as little metal as possible to touch the wall. With only the points touching the wall the impressions made are covered by the paint spreading over them, while if the teeth were 'not there, objectionable streaks would be made by the disks, whlilch would be easily detected on the finished wa The metal ferrules 2 are bored as at 7 to receive the ends 8 of a wire frame 9 which is carried on a wooden handle 10.

' The method of operation is as follows: The surface to be decorated is first given a coat of desired color and allowed to dry slightly. The color to be used in stippling is first spread upon what I shall call a smooth trial surface, such as glass, linoleum or the like. A quantity of the colored material to be used is first placed upon this trial surface and then spread out evenly and thinly over it by the use of one of the rollers, in which the disks 3 are omitted. The operator then passes one of the complete rollers, including the disks 3 with their teeth 5, over this trial surface, which results in all of the higher points of the sponge being uniformly impregnated with the coloring matter. He then passes the roller downwardly from top to ottom upon the wall which has been previously coated, as above explained. The result is that a beautiful, evenly distributed mottling or stippling upon the wall is accom plished. As the roller passed down over the wall the sharp points 5 of course made very fine, and almost invisible, punctures in the wall, but the first coat not yet being hard, and besides this the flow of fresh wet coloring matter from the sponge flowed into these small holes instantly as the roller moved downwardly, with the result that these fine holes were immediately filled up entirely and smoothly. With the safety provision of the toothed disks 3 it will be seen that even a novice will be able to accomplish as good a job, and as quickly, as a skilled painter or kalsominer. It has been found, however,

that. a skilled painter or decorator usually will not require the safety disks 3. The large number of people who have no experience in painting and kalsomining, and who decorate their own walls, can do so by the use of my device and process without training and they will be sure of beautiful and satisfactory results. The use of the trial surface as above ex lained is however necessary in all cases. After the wall has been gone over and mottled as just described, another and different color is then applied to the trial surface, the roller thoroughly cleaned and the process repeated. A third, fourth, or fifth color can be applied if desired.

Figures 3 and 4 show a stippled surface, the heavier dotted portions 11 of Figure 3 showing the first coat of stippling. Figure 4 represents a surface that has been stippled twice after the ground coat has been applied, the dotted portions 11 representing the first coat of stippling as shown in Figure 3 and the heavily shaded port-ions 12 represent the second coat of stippling, which may be of a different color.

What is claimed is:

1. A stippling tool comprising a frame, a roller rotatably carried by said frame, metal disks having a sharpened serrated periphery secured to t e ends of the roller, the serrated portion projecting beyond the roller a predetermined distance to engage the surface to be stippled and a sponge covering for said roller.

2. A stippling tool comprising a frame, a roller rotatably carried by said frame, metal disks having a sharpened serrated periphery secured to the ends of the roller, the serrated portion projecting beyond the roller a predetermined distance to engage the surface to be stippled, and strips of sponge material wound spirally around the roller, the surface of the sponge extending slightly beyond the outer edge of the serrated portion of the disks.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

GEORGE V. E. WATSON. ROBERT O. STUBBINS. 

